Republican strategist Steve Schmidt:
“When you think about every iconic song that has emotional resonance for millions and millions of Americans, in almost every instance, Republican candidates can’t use the song because the artist is not supportive.”Caution: the article includes a photograph of Survivor, c. 1979. What were people thinking back then?
G.O.P. Candidates Are Told, Don’t Use the Verses, It’s Not Your Song (New York Times)
comments: 8
And it's not limited to pop and rock. Pat Metheny sued then-Florida Governer Bob Martinez for using "Last Train Home" in 1990.
I just listened: yes, it sounds like “America” (the country, not the song).
But get that next bit of whining from Schmidt: "All these artists are delighted to sell concert tickets to independents and Republicans.” Yeah, you lunkhead, but those customers are paying the artist for the experience, while the copyright-ignoring GOP candidates are nothing more than thieves, doing the concert-equivalent of sneaking in through the back exit. And here I thought the Republicans revered people who want to make as much money as possible, and hate those who expect a free ride.
Thanks for adding that, Pete. I was amused by the idea that “every iconic song” is made by someone who doesn’t support Republican candidates. I guess Schmidt would see it all as a matter of media elites.
Candidates apparently pay licensing fees, but appropriating a song as a campaign theme (which suggests endorsement) is hardly the same using it for background in a restaurant or store. I’m reminded of the legal battles over musical style, as when Tom Waits sues those who make sound-alike commercials.
It's not limited to songs, either.
Did you hear Talk of the Nation's discussion of Langston Hughes last week? Poet Nikky Finney said Republicans often excerpt brief parts of "Let America Be America" on their websites, omitting all the parts that express what Hughes was actually trying to say.
Good grief. No.
Here’s the poem to speak for itself.
TOTN comes on at an inconvenient time, generally, but I did hear part of the Langston Hughes broadcast. Missed the part referred to... ?Thanks for posting the poem!
It’s online, with a transcript.
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